Guests of Katie's Cottage will soon have a place to rest and relax outside. Students in the Carpentry class at W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona are building a gazebo that will be moved to the respite home grounds this summer.

Instructor Rick Rempel says initially he wanted the class to be a part of the construction of the actual home, however it was too big of a project for the group. "Then when they decided to add a gazebo we jumped at the chance to do it for them."

This is also a personal project for Rempel, whose family knew Katie. "We were all part of the same swim team, she was good friends with my daughters, so if we could do something in her memory that was really important."

He explains that the students came up with the plans for the octagon structure, incorporating a hip roof design which required some more advanced calculations.

David Elias says it's cool to be a part of something that's going to mean a lot to someone else, adding it's been a fascinating process.

"When you're cutting all the wood pieces up in the shop it's hard to picture how it's going to look, but when you start putting everything together and following the instructions it's really cool."

The gazebo will be moved to the grounds of Katie's Cottage near Boundary Trails Health Centre sometime this summer.